not good

Closed Circuit is a capable and well-crafted, if unspectacular legal suspense film in the vein of (though not in the same league as) The Conversation and the State of Play mini-series. Set in London, the film focuses on a pair of lawyers, only one of whom is authorized to review top-secret documents, defending a Muslim man suspected of involvement in a bombing which claimed over 100 lives. Of course, there is more to the story than either first realizes, and they soon discover a complicated web of government conspiracy and deception, endangering themselves furhter with each new revelation. Every aesthetic choice is spot-on, from the blue, overcast tint to shots which emphasize a sense of paranoia by observing characters from afar through city windows. It never fails to resemble an atmospheric, top-flight spy film.

The acting is strong, too, with Eric Bana conveying a certain exhausted dedication as the male protagonist, as if he continues to push forward with his various briefings and investigations despite desiring a shave, a nap, and an aspirin, while Rebecca Hall counters with a more dignified and regal portrayal of legal intelligence and ambition. And in a small, but important role as the Attorney General, Jim Broadbent infuses his smiling and tender presence, so often used to perfection in comedies and lighter fare such as the Bridget Jones films, with an insinuating, sinister dimension. It is the storyline where Closed Circuit, however involving in the moment (and it is indeed riveting most of the time), fails to set itself apart to a significant degree. Information is at times conveyed with a thud instead of with playful grace (notice how one purportedly friendly character reveals his complicity in the central MI5 conspiracy in a dolt worthy slip), and the ending is a tad anticlimactic and afraid to go to the cynical, no-good-deed-goes-unpunished lengths to which it clearly aspires for a moment before shying away, shoehorning in an unearned hint of left-wing uplift.

B

It is a neat title for an espionage film, and the way the prologue weaves together an aural and visual tapestry of individual city lives unfolding at once through closed-circuit footage is fantastic, but I was a bit surprised the extensive camera system for which London is famous (notorious) did not impact the plot much beyond frequent visual references.

So it was realistic. Unlike American movies that seem to think we're all idiots that believe there is an office in the FBI headquarters where the FBI agents can view EVERY CCTV camera in the United States. It happens in various TV shows and loads of movies - pretty lazy writing. It seems that Closed Circuit only utilizes what it knows to be true, so not using CCTV to close plot points and reveal everything seems to be a brave move.

Looking forward to this film.

Perhaps you are right, and it is for the best.

I s'pose I just figured a piece of footage captured by a closed-circuit camera might push the case in a new direction, or the film might be more interested in general in the concept of privacy in this modern, tech centric age. The storyline and most of the clandestine shenanigans evoke Cold War era spy stories more than anything, which I just say as an observation, not criticism. It is a fun movie.

Closed Circuit

Uninteresting, needlessly complicated, boring "thriller". There is a message here of political corruption but it hits with thud because by the end nobody cares. A dodgy English accent by Eric Bana accompanies an awful script where they are trying to give Bana as little to say as possible because of his Australian accent coming through. Rebecca Hall is gorgeous as always.

D+